Drivers will get extra info on floods

Avoiding dangerously flooded roads in suburban Bexar County is about to get easier.

Later this month, the county's pilot program of 10 high-tech, high-water-detection systems will be expanded to 53 trouble-prone locations — including some sites where motorists have drowned in floodwaters.

Motorists at low water crossings equipped with HALT technology will be met with flashing lights rather than just barricades or nothing at all.

“We also had to get dedicated (radio) frequencies for these systems and we had to upgrade our communications tower,” she added.

“We've tested the system with the 10 we've already got and everything's ready to go,” Green said.

The goal is to save lives at crossings notorious for dangerous flooding, she said.

More than 160 crossings in suburbs and unincorporated areas of the county were considered for the new technology.

“Sites that we picked are sites that we routinely have to close because of high water. Because they are rural, they may not warrant an improvement to a bridge or a low water crossing ... to use our dollars wisely, we're going to put in these low water crossing signals to alert citizens that there's water up the road,” she said.

The initiative is part of the county's 10-year, $500 million flood control program.